From a tourist’s perspective, it seems both Singapore’s and Western Australia’s tourism industries are beginning to make a conscious and strategic effort to battle past public perceptions as, most simply put, one-dimensional business destinations.
Singapore and Perth, Australia could be (and often are) stereotyped as urban metropolises. Both have a thriving and dominating central business district that characterises the city, complete with skyscrapers that house major multinational corporations with impeccably clean streets, marked only by the pairs of shiny, leather brogues and high heels of local and foreign executives going about their day.
From a distance and to a naïve eye, each destination seems like a sterile, corporate environment that is only particularly appealing to the already marvellously wealthy. It seemed not as though the places lacked a particular sense of culture or personality, but that it was reserved for the highbrow and elite. While it is undeniable that there is still mass appeal in stunning, modern destinations like Marina Bay Sands or the Crown Perth Casino… there is also a simultaneous parallel shift going on in the other direction, drawing attention to less known neighbourhoods and backstreets.
Notions of “culture” in the traditional sense of the collective identity of society were believed to only manifest beyond the city’s borders. For example, in Margaret River or the Swan Valley just outside of Perth or in Pulau Ubin or neighbouring Indonesia and Malaysia for Singapore. If people are seeking a little ‘heritage’, there is a persistent nagging feeling that you must leave the inner city in order to find it.
Are investments in creating gigantic, modern city landmarks to add to a city’s list of attractions starting to fail to capture the attention of tourists? Did they ever really do so anyway? From a personal perspective and from seeking out the attitudes of fellow millennial travellers, when it comes to choosing holiday destinations, it is less geared towards places with specific things to see and do but based on their character and vibe on a holistic and experiential level.
Now, it seems there is an active pursuit to showcase the flavours of a city that still exist, albeit within the nooks and crannies of its modern buildings. For example, Perth’s Murray Street and Hay Street (a famous pedestrian mall) that house many global high street brands are also home to remarkable buildings like London Court or the Old Melbourne Hotel, each steeped with history and character. Though admittedly, they are not as readily found or visible to the naked eye unless you know where to look.
Bigger efforts are now being seen when it comes to larger areas as neighbourhoods that would have likely been perceived as ‘no-go zones’ for tourists due to their sketchy past reputations are being gentrified. Poorer neighbourhoods like Singapore’s Geylang or Perth’s Northbridge area (which were notorious red light districts) are now being remarketed and made over as ‘up and coming’, breathing new life into old places.
With new attention being drawn, businesses are beginning to thrive as new restaurants, bars and shops take over many previously run down spaces, transforming what was once written off as an undesirable location into prime real estate. This form of evolution is hardly unique to Perth and Singapore alone. Successful efforts to revitalise struggling areas can be seen through the likes of London’s Brick Lane or New York City’s Brooklyn and Central Harlem. It breathes new life and draws attention to old places that were at risk of being largely ignored for fear that they did not fit the image of what a ‘picture perfect’ city should look like.
Graffiti that was always considered a form of vandalism is now being celebrated as reflective of a city’s contemporary subculture. Liberal artistic expression is being encouraged and even shown off as something to take pride in, for example in London’s graffiti and street art tours. Or perhaps more accurately, there is a little more leniency over what forms of expression governments are willing to accept as art – a notion definitely worth debating (perhaps for another time, dear reader).
Nevertheless, I predict that the almost bohemian movement that is actively fostering local arts and small businesses which more readily embody a destination’s idiosyncrasies will do far more in catching people’s attention in what makes the place great than by investing vast amounts of money in anonymous mega-structures that fill gaps in city skylines.
Efforts to develop a city’s landscape to attract more visitors as well as (of course) private businesses to invest, are still huge. Perth’s recent redevelopment mission comes in the shape of Barrack Street Jetty and Elizabeth Quay – a unique, lifestyle space that will soon be filled with attractions, exhibitions, shops, F&B establishments as well as the imposing and possibly overbearing, The Ritz-Carlton, which is currently under construction. Elizabeth Quay promises to be an interactive space for the general public and visitors alike by offering a multitude of attractions that appeal to different people’s interests.
Assuming it is successful, it will definitely give Perth a boost in its striving to be regarded as a ‘cool city’. Whether it is enough to incentivise travellers to pay Perth a visit when choosing their next holiday destination remains to be seen.
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